Card edge connector

A card edge connector, comprising:

• a tubular receptacle;
• a circuit board to be arranged in the receptacle;
• a housing to be fit into the receptacle, the housing having an accommodation space for the circuit board;
• a terminal fitting to be accommodated into the housing;
• and
• a protecting member to be arranged movably to an initial position and a connection position in the housing,
• wherein:
• the terminal fitting includes a contact point portion facing the accommodation space and to be electrically connected to the circuit board,
• the protecting member includes:
• a body portion for restricting connection of the circuit board and the contact point portion by being located on an opening side of the accommodation space at the initial position and allowing the connection of the circuit board and the contact point portion by being retracted from the opening side of the accommodation space at the connection position;
• and
• a hooked portion connected to an end part of the body portion and projecting toward an outer surface side of the housing,
• the receptacle includes a hooking portion on an inner surface facing an outer surface of the housing, the hooking portion moving the protecting member from the connection position to the initial position by hooking the hooked portion,
• the circuit board has a pressing surface on an end surface, the pressing surface abutting on the protecting member at the initial position and moving the protecting member to the connection position,
• the protecting member includes a plurality of deflectable and deformable resilient holding portions,
• the housing includes a plurality of holding portions for restricting a movement of the protecting member from the initial position to the connection position by respectively locking the plurality of resilient holding portions,
• a clearance is present between the pressing surface of the circuit board and the protecting member with the hooked portion hooked by the hooking portion at the connection position, and
• the hooked portion becomes deflectable and deformable, the resilient holding portions abut on the holding portions to be deflected and deformed and the protecting member is allowed to be inclined within a range of the clearance immediately before a separating operation of the receptacle and the housing is completed.